Beacon

Beacon


Function:	A beacon is used to broadcast its position....
DLC?	Vanilla

Fits small grid
Mass:	84.2 kg
Hitpoints:	306
Range:	200000 m
PCU:	50
Size:	1x1x2
Time to Build:	15 sec

Fits large grid
Mass:	2662.0 kg
Hitpoints:	10710
Range:	200000 m
PCU:	50
Size:	1x2x1
Time to Build:	40 sec

Data Controls:	[purge] (?))

A Beacon is a block in Space Engineers that acts as a waypoint or navigation marker that appears as a visible signal on other players' HUDs. The Round Beacon is a shape variant.

In contrast to the similar antenna, a beacon does not relay remote access and uses much less power. In contrast to a static, private, zero power cost GPS marker, the Beacon can be attached to a mobile grid and is visible to anyone in range.

Usage

Use Beacons to keep track of easily lost mobile grids, such as Autopiloted drones.
Jump Drives can use beacons as a jump target.
Used together with Timer Blocks or Event Controllers that switch on a named beacon signal on your HUD under certain conditions, you can alert everyone in viewing range.

Secondarily, beacons also provide light, about 1.5 times as much as interior lights, but at a much larger construction cost.

How to broadcast with beacons

By default, a beacon broadcasts your faction prefix and the word "beacon", e.g. "FCTN.Beacon".

To customise the text that Beacons display on the HUD:

Enter the cockpit F key of the ship or station the beacon is attached to.
Open the Control Panel Screen K key, and select the beacon.
Then type your desired name or message into the HUD Text field.

This text will be visible to anyone -- and will attract attention on PvP servers.

Pros and cons

Beacons have the advantage that they can be placed on stations, large-grid ships, as well as small-grid craft. Leaving named beacons behind lets players publicly mark planetary and asteroid stations, resources, or keep track of mobile spacecraft or rovers on route.

The beacons' disadvantage is that they broadcast their signal to everyone in range, including enemies. Beacons have a logarithmic slider to adjust their maximum Broadcast Radius between 0 and 200,000 meters. All players within this range will see the beacon's name as a signal on their HUD, while only those beyond this radius will not.

Power

The beacon draws a variable amount of power based on the distance it broadcasts, with no power drawn when it is off. For every 5km of Broadcast Radius added, the beacon will draw an additional kilowatt of power.

A beacon with a broadcast radius of 5km will draw 1kW of power, whereas one with the default 20km range will draw 2kW of power. Power draw at 50,000 meters is 10kW, and even at 200,000 metres it's only 20kW.

Control Options

The Antenna has the following controls in the Control Panel Screen and the Toolbar


Control panel Screen	Toolbar	Description
On/Off	Toggle on/off Toggle on Toggle off	Switching the block on allows you to use its send and receive features at the cost of power and radar visibility; switching it off makes you lose remote access, hides you on the radar, and saves power.
Name		If you leave the default name, the Beacon remains easily findable when searching the control panel for "Beacon".
HUD text	Set HUD text	By default, this field is empty and the HUD signal shows as e.g. "FCTN.Beacon". Optionally, enter a message here that you want to broadcast together with your faction prefix, for example "FCTN.come at me bro", "FCTN.drone battery low", or "FCTN.free railgun sabots here".
Show ship name		When switched off, the signal shows merely "FCTN.Beacon" (or the HUD Text, if provided). If switched on, the signal will show the grid name defined on the Info Screen, e.g. "FCTN.Super Secret Spy Satellite". In a PvE setting, it can be valuable to inform co-op players which ship this is, whereas in a PvP setting, you may want to hide such details.
Broadcast Radius	Increase/Decrease Broadcast Radius	Set the range between 0-200'000 metres. A longer range uses more power and makes you more easily visible to other players.

Construction

The Beacon exists for large and small grids and requires a 1x1x2 block space. It has mount points on its top and bottom faces, as well as the four smooth surfaces on the sides of its cubic lower half. The sides of the upper half (with the shining rings) do not attach to other blocks.

The Round Beacon is a shape variant with the same functionality, size, and cost. You can build it if you have purchased the Decorative Pack 3. The only difference is that the standard Beacon has a mount point on the top face and the Round Beacon doesn't.^[1]

Recipe

The Beacon and the Round Beacon have the same recipe.

Beacon
Component	Large Ship/Station Required	Large Ship/Station Optional	Small Ship Required	Small Ship Optional
Steel Plate	40	40	1	1
Small Steel Tube	—	—	1	—
Radio-comm Comp.	40	—	4	—
Large Steel Tube	20	—	—	—
Construction Comp.	30	—	1	—
Computer	10	—	1	—